Hello all, I know I don't post very often but thought I'd share with you some general info, and of my likes and dislikes about my two machines, now that I've had time to get used to using a front loader and can see the advantages and disadvantages.
The Maytag set-
(2003 Atlantis washer, 2004 Neptune dryer)- My ''daily drivers'' as you would call them. I got them in Feb. of 2016, and they had very little wear and tear. I just had to replace the snubber ring on the washer. These machines do most of our laundry. In all honesty, I prefer them over the Kenmore set. They are more basic without many electronics and I prefer a top load washer, HOWEVER, I noticed the excessively long cycle time on some of the cycles on the Kenmore, and couldn't understand why it would need so long to wash. Prior to this I had always used the Normal/Regular wash time for most large loads in the Maytag, but now that I think of it, it is essential to have a long wash cycle if you want clothes really clean. Newer manufacturers tend to make washers that take longer on the wash cycle (both top and front load) to get a good cleaning. Manufacturers have figured out it is simply not possible to deep clean a load of laundry with 10-15 minutes of wash time. So I now use the Extra Heavy setting for whites (about 30 minutes of agitation) and Heavy for colors (25 mins.)
The only issue I have encountered with the washer is the occasional out of balance load. But I would much prefer stopping the washer, redistributing the load myself and then turning the washer back on than several attempts by the machine to balance out the load as most washers do today, which adds time and is just annoying. The cycles average about ~5-7 super size loads a week. My biggest pet peeve about this particular model, is the lower water level on the super setting in order for it to be deemed ''Energy Star'' qualified. I have taken the front off the control panel and tried to adjust the level so that I don't have to manually tweak it to get it to fill to full capacity, but the water level switch appears to be sealed with no way of adjusting it any higher.
I always let the washer cool down for at least 30 minutes to an hour after finishing a large load. I do this with all of my machines to prevent any overheating. Even though I frequently overload the washer (by mistake) it really is a pretty rugged, quiet machine, and can effectively turn over and clean a lot more than you would think by looking at the size of the tub. The transmission, called weak by many, is actually very powerful. Cleans much better than any short stroke direct drive Whirlpool or Dependable Care Maytag machine I have ever used, even using cold water during summer weather.
The dryer I have had no issues with. It is a Neptune 5500. I only use it during the winter months when line drying is not an option. It is making some strange noises which are probably roller bearings or something simple to fix if it becomes too annoying. Since I have had it, I notice the motor always makes a loud noise if you stop the dryer after it has been running and restart it. Not sure why but it hasn't caused any issues. No repairs before this that I can think of other than taking it apart to vacuum out lint.
The Kenmore set (Made early 2007)-
Well I'll get right to it. I know some of the electronics are beneficial, but simply cannot stand all of the sensing, load redistributing and general nonsense and redundant features that prolongs the cycle time. For example, a large load of Jeans/denim pants takes FOREVER to balance out, and when it finally does spin (on the medium speed, I wouldn't DARE use the high spin for a load of jeans) it sounds like there is a tractor running in my upstairs laundry room. It tangles everything to death. Problems that are virtually non-existent with the Atlantis. This seems to be my luck with most front loaders. Prior to this I had a Neptune FL and it would do the same thing. On loads of whites and towels it seems to spin fairly quiet even on high spin speed. But jeans or sweaters, forget about it! I sort my clothes according to fabric type and I will not mix my jeans with cotton or towels and have them come out covered in lint just to prevent the machine from going out of balance when it was quoted in the brochure for this model that it could clean up to 18 pairs of Jeans in one wash.
But, for a front loader that is fully controlled by electronics, I have to say it has lasted 11 years, and that's quite a bit for most of these machines today. It is pretty heavy duty. The bearings and spider are still intact and running smoothly. The water valve makes some strange noises but it causes no issue. The cleaning performance is near excellent.
The dryer on the other hand is SO SLOW (and yes the heating element is working normally) and has has been apart more times than I can count trying to diagnose the root of some of the insanely loud noises it made. I think I ended up replacing the belt tensioner? and the roller bearings and lubed a few parts and finally it stopped, and it works ok now, but is still loud even with everything working normally. Not a very quiet or efficient machine with the supposed ''QuietPak 9'' sound insulation'' but it did last almost 9 years without any repairs.
Comes to the Rescue!
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